Explosive.



UNITED [STATES PATENT OFFICE.

v -H. BRIGGS, OF ELYBIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN DYNALITE COM- PANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

Patented Nov 15, 1910.

Application filed April 29. 1909. Serial No. 492,832.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Explosives, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

' The object of this invention is to produce an; explosive which is somewhat cheaper pound for pound than that explosive which forms the subject matter of my prior application, Serial No. 358,080; and an explosive whose characteristics may easily be varied so as to adapt it to dilferent specific uses.

The invention consists 'in tliei'ieTzplQsiEfycompound hereinafter described and in the process of compounding the same as hereinafter described and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In preparing the said explosive there is used as the base or foundation substantially the same explosive compound which forms the subject matter of said prior application-that is to say, in its best form it is an intimate mixture of chlorate of potash, mirbane oil and a pulverized mineral inert absorbent of the oilpreferably pulverized slate. These ingredients are preferably used in about the proportion of 112"pounde-ehlorate of potash, 35 pounds of mirbane oil, and 24 pounds of pulverized slate. These proportions may, however, be varied to a considerable degree and are not made essentials of the compound herein claimed. Neither is it essential that pulverized slate be used,

because other pulverized inert minerals will serve a similar purpose, although as far as I know not to a like degree. That is to say, I know of no other material which will absorbas much mirbane oil and will in like degree permit its volatilization. This compound is being extensively used and is made and sold under the name of dynalite. It has many desirable. qualities which commend it for use, but its cost has in some degree been an obstacle to its more general introduction. I have discovered, however,-that if to this base'compound, nitrate of potash be added to an amount not exceeding twenty per cent. of the weight of the base compound, the resulting compound is an exploslve whose qualities are almost exactly those of the base compound; and since this nitrate of potash costs very much less per pound than the chlorate or the mirbane oil, it is obvious that by the addition of the nitrate of potash We produce a considerably cheaper explosive. If an amount of nitrate of potash in excess of twenty per cent. of the base compound be added, some changes in the quality of the compound results. That is to say, it acts more slowly and produces heaving or propulsive rather than shattering results in about the proportion of the increase of the nitrate. A very good but slow actin and highly propulsive explosive compound may be produced by adding fifty per cent. by weight of nitrate of potash to the base compound. If the amount of nitrate added much exceeds fifty per cent. the resultant compound becomes-too uncertain and slow of action to have much practical value.

The addition of powdered charcoal to the described compound increases its elasticity, still further decreases its quickness of shooting and makes the mass more pliable, and ai s in preventing it from solidifying when exposed to low temperatures. The amount of charcoal which maybe so used to practical advantage will vary from one per cent. in the quick acting explosivethat is, that which has the smallest percentage of nitrate of potash,-to fifteen per cent. in the slowest acting explosive, namely, that which has the greatest percentage of the nitrate of potash. One thing is to be observed, however, namely, that a satisfactory explosive cannot be produced by mixing together at the same time the chlorate of potash, the nitrate of potash, the mirbane oil and the powdered slate. It is necessary that the oil and chlorate shall be mixed so that the chlorate particles shall be coated with the oil and that thereafter the powdered slate shall be added to absorb the excess of oil. Thus there is produced the base compound. The nitrate and the charcoal must be added to this base compound after it has been. prepared. If added otherwise a satisfactory explosive is not produced, nor one whose qualities can be predicted before use.

The nitrate of potash is used to increase the quickly available quantity of oxygen in the mass; and the carbon is used to increase the quickly available carbon in the mass. The appended claims are intended to be inclusive of explosive compounds which employ equivalents of said nitrate and charcoal;. although I believe that the two materials specified are the best for the described purp0se, having regard not only for their chemical efiect-but their cost as well.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. An explosive compound consisting of an intimate mixture of chlorate of potash,

mirbane oil, pulverized slate, and nitrate of potash, in substantially the stated propori tions.

ducing an explosive which consists in first making an explosivecompound by mixing chlorate of potash and mirbane oil together,

and then adding a pulverized inert absorhent mineral, and in then adding to this mixture nitrate of potash, substantially asspecified 4E. The herein described process of pro ducing an explosive WhlCh cons1sts 1n first making an explosive compound by mixing chlorate of potash and mil-bane oil together,

and then adding a pulverized inertabsorhent mineral, and then adding to this mixture nitrate of potash and charcoal, sub stantially as specified.

signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK H. BRIG-G5 3,

Witnesses:

L. D. HAMLIN,

A. E. LAWRENCE.

4 n testimony whereof, I hereunto afix my 

